February 2014

February 27, 2014

Breaking news: Drivers in California can legally read a map on their cellphones while driving. So says the California court. Brilliant. So to sum up, talking on a cell phone, even while stopped in traffic, even while keeping your eye on the road, is illegal. Taking your eyes off the road to look at the little maps on that same device, however, is perfectly okay. Great job, legislators.

February 26, 2014

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco says the YouTube posting of “Innocence of Muslims” infringed upon actress Cindy Lee Garcia's copyright to her role in the film. Google, which has removed the clip, said it will appeal the decision. “Had Ms. Garcia known the true nature of the propaganda film the producers were planning, she would never had agreed to appear in the movie,” said Cris Armenta, Garcia’s attorney.

There is an expression among lawyers that "bad facts make bad law." This is a perfect example. Everyone knows it's wrong that this woman was duped. And everyone knows it was wrong to make this video. But that doesn't mean that she owns the copyright. People like Ashton Kutcher, mJimmy Kimmel and Sacha Baron Cohen must be sweating bullets over this decision, but I'd be surprised to see it stand.

February 17, 2014

I used to think The Color Run was a really cool event run by cool people. I've since found out it's run by a very sketchy guy who sued a photographer who dared to demand money for the Color Run to use the photographer's photo. They also rely on volunteers who think they are helping a charity, but actually are working for free for a "for profit company". I hope we get a call from one of these volunteers. We'll hit 'em with a class action for wage & hour violations!

For now, I'm going to support the Color Dash instead. They seem to be more open about what they do, what they give and who they are. And they don't sue you for taking pictures at their events.

Famous chefs were interviewed and asked to rate their most overrated and most underrated veggies. Most overrated: kale. I couldn't agree more. Kale sucks. When I used to work in a restaurant, we used it as a garnish and I never once saw anyone eat it. Some people eat it raw, straight or mixed into a salad. I would rather eat grass clippings. Kale chips have no flavor, except for whatever you sprinkle on them. Cooked kale is nasty, too. I'd much rather have spinach or cabbage. It's bitter and gross and I have no idea why it has become so trendy.

Oops. Fifty years of doctors’ advice and government eating guidelines have been wrong. We’ve been told to swap eggs for Cheerios. But that recommendation is dead wrong. In fact, it’s very likely that this bad advice has killed millions of Americans.

A rigorously done new study shows that those with the highest sugar intake had a four-fold increase in their risk of heart attacks compared to those with the lowest intakes. That’s 400%! Just one 20-ounce soda increases your risk of a heart attack by about 30%.

This study of more than 40,000 people, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, accounted for all other potential risk factors including total calories, overall diet quality, smoking, cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and alcohol.

This follows on the heels of decades of research that has been mostly ignored by the medical establishment and policy makers. In fact, the Institute of Medicine recommends getting no more than 25% of your total calories from added sugar. Really?? This study showed that your risk of heart attacks doubles if sugar makes up 20% of your calories.

You should believe it, too. A couple of years ago, I put myself on a fairly simple diet from Labor Day to Christmas Eve. There were only two elements to this diet: (1) avoid anything that seemed "sugary", like cookies, cakes, candy, etc. and (2) stop drinking alcohol. In less than four months, I lost more than 40 pounds, and it seemed effortless. I didn't stop eating. I didn't watch my calories. I didn't exercise more. I just cut sugar and alcohol out of my diet and the pounds melted away.

Enjoy those Valentine chocolates, but then try to avoid sugar for a while.